PCToday

Public Relations & Marketing at Pennsylvania College of Technology took home gold, bronze and honorable mention recognition in the 2021 CUPPIE Awards sponsored by CUPRAP, College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals.

The 14th annual CUPPIE Awards featured 357 entries from colleges, universities, agencies and providers of private, specialized and secondary education and accreditation. Penn College was honored for writing, video and magazine production efforts completed between Dec. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2020.

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Megan E. Rogers has preached to her son who is blind that there is nothing he can’t do; he just might have to discover a different way to do it.

For proof, she can point to herself.

The Pennsylvania College of Technology employee and single mom of two wasn’t blessed with writing experience, but that didn’t prevent her from authoring a recently published children’s book. For Rogers, maternal love proved more valuable than a background rooted in prose.

The result is “Meet Mason,” a 32-page illustrated book inspired by her 9-year-old son who has been blind since birth. The text – written from Mason’s perspective – and color illustrations of the youngster in various settings are designed to help kids relate to those who are blind or have other special needs.

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Pennsylvania’s transition from spring to summer can bring some unpredictable conditions: steamy days, cool nights and a seemingly ever-present threat of showers. Penn College Police Officer Daniel A. Kilgus took this engaging panoramic photo of the sky over the Bush Campus Center, just before Friday morning’s rain moved in. Eerie and menacing, perhaps, but with the silver-lining promise of another day.

WELLSBORO, Pa. – Excellent career opportunities for licensed practical nurses exist in area hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, personal care facilities and human service organizations.

Penn College at Wellsboro’s Practical Nursing Program will host information sessions for those interested in nursing as a career. Sessions will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 15, and Thursday, Aug. 5, at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Wellsboro campus, 22 Walnut St.

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PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

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The Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors on Thursday approved a $157.3 million college budget for 2021-22 calling for no increase in tuition and fees or in the rates charged to students for on-campus housing and meal plans.

The board also authorized the purchase of two properties at 218 Park St. and 971 Second St. in Williamsport and heard presentations on the new LEAP (Learning, Evolving, Adapting, Preparing) Center and the college’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Board of Directors today approved a $157.3 million budget for 2021-22, one that features no increase in tuition and fees for students and an increase of less than 1% in spending over 2020-21.

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Penn College’s proven prominence in helping companies improve their employees’ skills through apprenticeship training is reflected in a new feature of the campus community’s blog. Laying the groundwork for a planned series of insightful posts, author Christopher P. Ray – Workforce Development’s executive director for business development – debuts with a definition of what separates the program from the myriad other “ships” in the workforce world.

State College native Eric Ian Farmer will travel to Williamsport to perform on the Community Arts Center stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 16.

The Penn State alumnus, raised in North Carolina and returning to his roots, has entertained audiences at Happy Valley’s Got Talent and Penn State’s Got Talent, both popular regional competitions, and recorded a live album at The Attic at The State Theatre in State College.

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The June 2 appearance by a member of Penn College’s faculty on WITF’s interactive “Smart Talk” radio program has been added to the Harrisburg public broadcasting station’s website. Christopher H. Van Stavoren, assistant professor of automotive technology, spoke with Scott LaMar during the second half of the episode (beginning at about the 26:30 mark) on the topic of “Understanding Electric Vehicle Technology.” He answered questions from the host and listeners about efficiency, infrastructure and cost, closing with confidence that Penn College automotive students leave campus well-equipped to handle all manner of vehicles: conventional, hybrid and electric. Van Stavoren – who teaches such courses as Automotive Electrical Fundamentals, Powertrain Electronics and Engine Electrical Systems – has served on the college faculty since 1999.

Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour has made a substantial commitment to the college’s Legacy Campaign for Penn College fundraising effort. The donation will benefit several key scholarship initiatives for students.

Gilmour, who recently announced plans to retire as president on June 30, 2022, is making a six-figure gift that will support the existing Tomorrow Makers Scholarship, as well as two new endowed funds she is creating: the Gilmour Global Experiences Endowment and the Gilmour Student Competition Endowment.

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The First Quality Group of companies, a leader in personal health care products and a longtime corporate partner of Pennsylvania College of Technology, has donated a number of sought-after items to the campus food pantry.

In coordination with the college’s Inclusion Task Force, First Quality contributed feminine hygiene products, diapers and wipes to The Cupboard’s inventory. Operated by Dining Services in the Bush Campus Center and supported solely by community donations, the pantry assists students who are struggling with food insecurities and hygiene needs.

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Inspirations, themes and daily habits were topics of discussion at the first of two artists’ roundtable talks held Wednesday afternoon in The Gallery at Penn College as part of its “Textiles in Translation” exhibition on display through July 22. The collection features fiber-based artwork by 35 Pennsylvania regional members of Studio Art Quilt Associates. Joining Gallery Director Penny Griffin Lutz in the conversation were: Meredith Eachus Armstrong, of Danville; Jean Downing and Meredith Re’ Grimsley, both of Bloomsburg; Sara Mika, of Catawissa; and Sharon Wall, of Altoona. “Both the artists and the attendees to the first public gallery event since January 2020 were engaged and happy to have the opportunity to discuss art, studio practices, techniques and process,” Lutz said. “We look forward to hosting another discussion on June 24.” That day’s 2 p.m. gathering will feature other SAQA artists. Those interested in attending can reserve a seat by email. The exhibition can be viewed online or in person at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Madigan Library at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Summer hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will be closed July 3-6.)

Following the footsteps of their predecessors, members of the physical therapist assistant Class of 2022 recently visited Trailing Pines Tree Farm in Muncy, where they planted 150 seedlings as part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership. The certified tree farm is owned by Paul Huffman, a 1987 graduate of Williamsport Area Community College, a forerunner of Penn College. The farm is dedicated to wildlife management and conservation. The college’s physical therapist assistant program’s Class of 2021 (set to graduate in August) has been to the farm twice, and this was the first visit for the Class of 2022. Service learning is part of the physical therapist assistant program’s curriculum, with the goal of fostering altruism – putting patients and others above self – and community involvement.
Photos courtesy of Victoria Hurwitz, director of physical therapist assistant

Twenty-seven Pennsylvania College of Technology students received Innovation Engineering Blue Belt certification following their successful completion of all modules within the Principles of Innovation course at the college.

The course teaches the fundamentals of innovation, emphasizing critical thinking, problem solving and stimuli for effective innovation.

“The class helps you to think more broadly and helps you get closer to the consumer,” said Nolan M. Hickok, an industrial design student from Troy.

“I think it helps you push the boundaries of your mind and what you can create,” added Harrison Wohlfarth, a concrete science technology and applied technology studies student from Midlothian, Virginia, citing rapid research and other techniques that “help you to think about what you can add to an idea and combine ideas that you might not otherwise think to combine.”

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